Eventide PitchFactor Fayetteville GA

The PitchFactor boasts ten finger-friendly knobs, an interactive “Billboard” display, true stereo operation with any combination of instrument or line-level signals, three Bypass modes including true bypass, assignable expression pedal and external footswitch control, tap-tempo capabilities, and extensive MIDI implementation. Read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Eventide PitchFactor

THE PITCHFACTOR BRINGS TO PITCH SHIFTING what the TimeFactor andModFactor pedals (reviewed in the December ’07 and August ’08 issuesrespectively) brought to delay and modulation. This is particularly exciting, as Eventide has long been venerated for its “harmonizer”effects—beginning with the model H910 and H949 Harmonizers introducedin the early ’70s—and the PitchFactor’s DSP engine and effects algorithms are nearly identical to those found in the company’s pricier studio processors.

Like its predecessors, the PitchFactor boasts ten finger-friendly knobs, an interactive “Billboard” display, true stereo operation with any combination of instrument or line-level signals, three Bypass modes including true bypass, assignable expression pedal and external footswitch control, tap-tempo capabilities, and extensive MIDI implementation. The number of preset slots has been upgraded to 100 from the previous 20, and the factory presets that ship with the unit may be replaced with user presets (all presets and system settings may be backed up to a MIDI sequencer or SysEx librarian program).

In addition to pitch shifting, most of the PitchFactor’s ten effects algorithms offer stereo delays up to 1,500ms, and some include reverb, modulation, arpeggiation, and even synth-type effects. There’s also a fast and accurate onboard tuner with a choice of graphic or numeric displays.

The PitchFactor operates in either Bank or Play mode. In Bank mode, you cycle up through the banks by tapping the right footswitch, and then toggle between the two presets in each bank using the left and center footswitches. You can also temporarily disable banks that you aren’t using, so you don’t have to cycle through all 50 of them to reach the one you want. In Play Mode, the footswitches control the currently loaded effect: The left footswitch toggles between Bypass/Active, the center footswitch either engages the Learn function or “Flexes” the pitch (we’ll get to those), and the right footswitch is for tap tempo.

In addition to the onboard controls, connecting an expression pedal immediately allows you to control a key parameter in each preset, and the pedal may be reassigned to one or more parameters of your choice. Connecting a triple footswitch defaults to duplicating the onboard switches, but may be assigned to other functions, including bank up/down, and toggling between two fixed parameters. MIDI provides even more control, allowing you to select banks and presets, switch individual functions on and off, and continuously vary nearly any parameter using CC messages.

Having individual knobs to control most key parameters is one the pedal’s strongest features, but given that the function of sev- eral knobs changes depending on the chosen algorithm, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the variations—though should you forget you can just move the knob slightly and the parameter name and current value will momentarily be displayed.

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